In L.A.: Banks Violette @ Blum & Poe

Simultaneously rooted in Minimalist form and contemporary in its use of industrial materials, Violette’s artistic practice freely employs diverse media, such as neon tubing, powder-coated steel, glass, salt, resin, and aluminum. Violette draws inspiration from a variety of subcultural communities, including hardcore punk and drone metal bands like Sunn O))), political conspiracy theorists, both left and right-wing religious fanatics, and most recently NASCAR and the iconography which populates the sport’s predominantly southern fan base. As if arrested in time, Violette’s sculptural objects and installations function as elegant reminders of darker moments past and present.

Complimenting Violette’s sculptures are impeccably drafted graphite drawings on paper mounted on aluminum panel. Recent subjects include a Budweiser logo split in thirds, an upside-down and fractured American flag, the Oakland Raiders logo emblazoned with a skull, and a drawing of the number “88,” a nod to NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. These dark, cultural crosscurrents within Violette’s artistic vocabulary manifest themselves both two and three dimensionally. Whether drawn, cast, burned, crushed, or coated, the final product remains indelibly linked to Violette – his hand and psyche.